Hideki Tojo
Hideki Tojo was the leader of Imperial Japan from 1935 to 1945, acting as the Prime Minister. However, he effectively ruled as a dictator who held an extremely harsh totalitarian rule over the lives of his subjects. As well as militarist leader of Japan, he was also one of the highest ranking generals of the Imperial Japanese Army and head of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association. Since the commencement of the Showa era in 1926, Tojo became a rising figure in Japanese politics and was very influential over others. After becoming Prime Minister in 1935, Tojo held most, if not all, power in Japan, with Emperor Hirohito becoming more of a ruler in name only. As leader of Imperial Japan, Tojo greatly expanded the aggressive imperial doctrine and heavily reinforced the already very strong anti-Chinese racist sentiments in Imperial Japan. He also heavily strengthened the country into a great military power while still ruling with very strict and harsh control and enhancing nationalism and imperialistic militarism. His policies mostly revolved around enhancing and enforcing the belief that Japanese people were superior to others, especially others in the rest of Asia, and Japan should grow so ethnic Japanese can gain strength and thrive. This incredibly racist belief served as the core of Imperial Japanese society and policies throughout the entirety of the Showa period. Throughout his reign, Tojo was instrumental in causing World War II, as Japan started the war in 1937. He launched an extremely brutal Imperial Japanese invasion of China, and was central in organizing Imperial Japan's brutal genocidal mass murder of over 23 million Chinese. Tojo was also a vehement supporter of war with the United States and Great Britain as well as having a strong alliance with Nazi Germany, both of which happened as World War II unfolded, with Tojo helping to create an alliance with Germany as well as being responsible for making attacks on America and Britain. Tojo continued to lead Japan throughout the war until Japan finally surrendered and was occupied in 1945. After the surrender, and shortly before the occupation, Tojo resigned and retreated to his summer home. There as US troops closed in on his house, Tojo committed suicide in late 1945. Biography Hideki Tojo was born on December 30, 1884 in Meiji Japan to a military family. Following in his father's footsteps, Tojo became a military officer, and served with distinction in conflicts with China and Russia, then lead troops in the Asia-Pacific theater of World War I, even serving at the Siege of Tsingtao. In his experiences, Tojo grew a deep hatred for the Chinese people, believing them to be inferior savages, and breaking with conduct of the rest of the Imperial Navy, he had his troops conduct several massacres of tens of thousands of Chinese civilians in Manchiuria during the Great War. After the Great War, Tojo started becoming a very high ranking general in the Imperial Japanese Army, using his charisma and sharp thinking to advance himself. When the era Meiji Japan ended with the death of Emperor Taisho and entered into the era of Imperial Japan with the commencement of Emperor Showa, Tojo had become a leading figure in the military. As soon as the Showa period commenced, Tojo became a very crucial and influential figure who even helped make decisions for government policies. He also helped lead the Imperial Japanese military in taking control of the government in the late 1920s, which would lead to a more aggressive Japan. Once militarism took over, Tojo was instrumental in helping the Imperial Japanese create policies and influences that spread widely throughout Japan. These influences championed the belief that Japanese people and culture were infinitely superior to others, and that others in Asia, especially the Chinese, were greatly inferior to them. Because of this, once the Imperial Japanese military seized power in the late 1920s, Japan became an extremely racist country that embraced the virulently racist belief in Japanese supremacy, and espousing nationalism. As Japan became an incredibly aggressive, militarily nationalistic and racist country, Tojo rose through the ranks, and was ultimately chosen by Emperor Hirohito to become the Prime Minister of Japan in 1935. From here, Tojo greatly expanded Imperial doctrines and inflamed racist beliefs in Japan, especially against Chinese people. Tojo also promoted the Imperial Japanese doctrine that Japan should expand and seize lands in Asia, then drive out the original people to make room for more ethnic Japanese, similar to Germany's concept of Lebensraum. While he greatly strengthened Japan's military and industry, one of Tojo's first acts was creating a strong alliance between Germany and Japan in 1936. After this, Tojo then had Japan invade China, leading to vicious fighting across the country, while Tojo and the Imperial Japanese conducted brutal, genocidal campaigns against the Chinese, killing tens of millions of them. Tojo continued expanding the war with China, then he sent forces to invade India with German help. Eventually as negotiations broke down between Japan and the United States, Tojo had his naval forces attack the US base of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, leading to an infuriated America to declare war on Japan. Tojo then had forces conquer most of Asia and the Pacific, including seizing the Philippines, before initiating a defensive campaign against the American counter offensive, while he also continued making advances into China and India, as well as having his regime commit numerous cruel atrocities. However, by 1942, the war started turning against Japan, as more of their territories fell to Allied forces, with American forces seizing their Pacific island bases and driving furiously towards Japan itself. The Americans, Chinese, British and Russians eventually converged on Japan, with American forces making a surprise landing in Honshu and fighting fiercely throughout much of the country and ultimately surrounding Tokyo. As American troops crushed the Japanese defenses around Tokyo's outskirts, Emperor Hirohito finally announced Japanese surrender. Desperate, Tojo sent men to overthrow the Emperor in order to continue the war, but the uprising failed and Japan officially surrendered on September 2, 1945. Shortly after this, Tojo resigned from his position and retreated to his summer home. The Americans the occupied Japan and began a fervent search for suspected war criminals, with Tojo being at the top of the list. They eventually found Tojo's home, but as US Military Police approached the house, Tojo killed himself on September 11, 1945. Trivia Category:Call of Duty Category:Medal of Honor Category:Battlefield Category:Cimil's History